Brother's Keeper
by Winter1066
Summary: What will Charlie do when his and Don's roles are reversed. Will he be able to save Don in time?


**Chapter 1**

Charlie walked through the house thinking it was too quiet. Usually he could hear his father puttering around the kitchen making breakfast. Alan was away for a few days and Charlie had the house to himself. Don had come over last night and they ordered pizzas. The evidence of the night before was still on the coffee table in the living room. As Charlie cleaned up the boxes he smiled. He and Don were becoming pretty good friends. They had drifted apart when Don went to Quantico then later being assigned to Albuquerque. When Don moved back to help with their Mom Charlie had been determined to get closer to his older brother. It had been hard since they traveled in different social circles. Charlie's life was academics while Don's was law enforcement. Then Charlie had helped Don with a case and now they were closer then ever. Sure they still argued but that's just what brothers did.

Charlie grabbed all the boxes and took then out to the garbage. On his way back to the house he stopped by the pond to feed the koi. He remembered when his mom had brought the koi home. He'd sat there for hours watching them until Don came out and pushed him in. As Charlie was reminiscing the phone rang. He threw the last few pellets to the koi and ran inside.

"Hello."

"Dr. Eppes do as we say and your brother won't be hurt."

"What?" Charlie asked puzzled by the mechanical voice.

"Check your computer. Well call back in a few minutes."

The line went dead and Charlie replaced the receiver. He went over to the dining room table where his laptop was set up. Sometimes it drove his father crazy when Charlie would spread out all over the house when he was working. Charlie logged onto his computer and was informed he had mail. He quickly typed in his password to retrieve them. He quickly scanned them and saw a recent one mark "Don". As he opened it a picture came up of Don tied to a chair. Don's right eye was swollen shut and blood covered the right side of his face. Charlie stared at the picture stunned. When the phone rang he jumped.

"Hello."

"Do as we say and your brother won't be hurt."

"What do you want?"

"In a short while you'll receive an email telling you everything you need to know."

"I don't understand?"

"What's to understand? Do as we say or your brother dies. If you go to the FBI your brother dies."

The phone went dead and Charlie just sat there starring at the receiver. What am I going to do? Charlie thought as a shaky hand replaced the receiver. Just as he replaced the receiver his cellphone rang. Charlie got up and retrieved the phone from his coat pocket hanging on the back of a chair.

"Hello," Charlie said in a shaky voice.

"Charlie this is Terry, is Don there?"

"Don?" Charlie said and paused. What was he going to say?

"Yeah, your brother," Terry said. "He's late."

Charlie glanced at his watch and saw it was ten o'clock. He hadn't realized it was so late.

"Uh…Don's sleeping," Charlie lied.

"Is he okay?"

"Um…yeah" Charlie faltered. He was a terrible liar. "He's just not feeling so good. So I didn't wake him."

"He came over last night?"

"Yeah. We had some pizza and watched a few movies. It was late so he stayed here but he wasn't feeling good when he went to bed."

"All right I'll tell Merrick," Terry said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, bye," Charlie said in relief.

Charlie hung up the phone and knew he couldn't stay at the house. Terry would be worried and come over later to check on Don. Charlie went over to his computer and checked his mail. There was another one with "Don" in the title so he opened it. He scanned it quickly and shook his head. He was given seventy-two hours to complete the task or he'd never see his brother again. Charlie quickly shut down the computer and rubbed his temple thinking. He had to figure a place to hide. CalSi was definitely out. That would be the second place Terry would look. Suddenly an idea came to him and Charlie quickly packed up his computer. He threw in the charger for his cellphone in case they tried to contact him again.

David watched as Terry talked to Charlie. They had both been surprised when Don hadn't been in the office when they arrived. David was pretty sure Don didn't leave the buildings on some nights since he was always the first one in.

"All right, Charlie. I'll tell Merrick. Talk to you later."

"Anything wrong?" David asked when he saw Terry frown.

"Charlie said Don wasn't feeling well," Terry answered. "That he was sleeping and Charlie didn't want to wake him."

"I guess he's entitled to a day off," David said. "We don't have any cases right now."

"True," Terry agreed. "I'll check on him later."

David nodded and turned back to his computer. Terry did the same but had a nagging feeling something was wrong. Don had told her Charlie was a terrible liar. That he usually gave himself away because he would stutter what he wanted to say. She decided to give Charlie the benefit of the doubt and logged onto her computer.

Charlie arrived at the university thirty minutes later. As he quickly made his way to his office he failed to notice Larry walking towards him.

"Charles," Larry called. Charlie completely ignored him and kept walking. Larry quickly changed direction as Charlie passed him. "Charles!"

"What!" Charlie said confused when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Charles what are you doing here?"

"Doing?"

"Yes," Larry smiled. "It's spring break. There' s not classes."

"Right," Charlie said. "I, uh, needed something out of my office."

"Ah, working on another case for Don?"

"Sort of."

"I understand," Larry said. "You can't talk about it."

"Something like that," Charlie said distracted. "I really have to go."

"Good luck," Larry said.

"With what?" Charlie asked confused.

"With the case."

"Right, thanks."

Larry watched as Charlie walked away. He was puzzled by Charlie's behavior. Sure Charlie could get lost in his own world when working on something but he seemed even more distracted then normal. Larry also thought it was odd that Charlie had his laptop with him if he only came to pick something up. Larry shrugged and continued on his way.

**Chapter 2**

Terry came in the next morning and glanced at Don's desk. She had meant to call him before leaving work yesterday but something came up. She noticed nothinghad been touched on his desk. She looked around the bullpen but didn't see Don anywhere. It wasn't that unusually. Don could be anywhere in the building. She sat at her desk and logged onto her computer.

"Don still not here?" David asked as he came in.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been here since seven. And I haven't seen him."

"Really?" Terry said. "Now I'm really starting to get worried."

Terry grabbed the phone and dialed Don's cell. It rang twice and went directly to voice mail. She hung up and tried his apartment. When she got the answering machine she hung up without leaving a message.

"Nothing?" David asked.

"No," Terry answered. "I'll try Charlie's."

Terry tried all the numbers she had for Charlie and got the same result. As she hung up the phone she stood up.

"I don't like this," Terry said. "I'm going over to Don's apartment."

"I'll come with you," David said.

Forty minutes later David parked the sedan at the curb by Don's apartment. Terry got out and walked around to the sidewalk. David followed as Terry headed for Don's apartment. When they got to the door Terry knocked. When she got no answer Terry pulled out her keys and searched through them. When she found the one she wanted she unlocked Don's door.

"What are you doing with a set of Don's keys?" David asked out of curiosity.

"Don gave them to me awhile ago," Terry said. "When his mom was sick Don spent most of his time over at the house. I came over to get his mail and check on things."

David nodded and followed Terry inside. Don's apartment always surprised David. It was very sparse with no paintings on the wall or any personal items. Don's apartment was basically a place to sleep. Don spent most of his time at the office. If he wasn't there he was at his dad's house, actually now Charlie's house. Terry looked around but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. David checked the kitchen but found nothing.

"Let's go see if we can find the Suburban," Terry suggested.

They went back out and Terry locked the door. On the way out she checked the mailbox. Yesterday's mail was still inside. She replaced it and closed the door.

"Maybe he's still at Charlie's," David said.

"It's possible."

They checked the street but couldn't find the Suburban. They headed back to the sedan.

"Lets go over to Charlie's," Terry said.

David nodded and started the car. Don's apartment wasn't that far from the house. A short time later David pulled into the driveway and parked. Terry got out and walked up to the door. She could see the mail sticking out of the mailbox. Terry rang the bell and waited. Davie peered in the window but couldn't see anything. Terry tried the door but it was locked.

"I'll check the back."

"Don't bother," Terry said. "They're not here."

"What's going on?"

"I don't know," Terry admitted. "But I don't like it. Lets get back to the office and put out an APB on Don's Suburban."

David nodded as they headed back to the car.

Charlie sat at the back table of the coffee shop. It was the only place he knew that was open 24/7 and had internet access. The kidnappers had emailed Charlie bank accounts in the Cayman Islands that they wanted him to hack into. It wasn't impossible to do but it took time. There were many safeguards but Charlie only had to find the right sequence of numbers to hack into the various levels of security. Charlie had taken over two tables and had his books and papers spread everywhere. He hadn't slept in almost thirty hours but he knew he couldn't take a break until this was done. Charlie never dreamed Don would he kidnapped because of what he could do. Their father had always worried that Charlie would be hurt because of what Don did. Charlie's fingers flew over the keyboard as he tried to crack the code of the latest account the kidnappers had sent. Charlie ran his fingers through his unruly hair and sighed. He tapped his temple as he tried to decide what formula's he could try next. Charlie jumped when he felt someone touch his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to startle you," the server said. "I called out first."

"It's alright," Charlie assured her. "What can I do for you?"

"The boss wanted me to get some money from you for the Internet time," the girl said sheepishly. "When I told him you'd been here all night and hadn't paid yet he kinda got on my case."

"It's alright," Charlie said and pulled out his wallet. He was about to hand her his credit card but stopped. If Terry started looking for him, that would be the first thing she checked. "Is there an ATM close by?"

"Across the street."

"I'll leave my stuff her as security for my return," Charlie said.

"I trust you," the girl said. "I'll keep an eye on your stuff."

"Thank you," Charlie said

Charlie went across the street and took out the maximum amount he could. When he got back to the shop the girl gave him his bill and he was slightly shocked. He paid her and got back to work.

Terry was checking some thing out on her computer when David walked over.

"LAPD found Don's truck."

"Where?"

"In Santa Monica," David said flipping through the report. "It wasn't damaged or anything. They found nothing out of the ordinary. It was just parked on the side of the road."

"Have our truck get in from LAPD," Terry said. "Maybe they can find something."

"Right," David agreed. "Any luck finding Charlie?"

"No, "Terry said. "I'm starting to get worried. Don goes missing then Charlie."

"Have you checked his credit cards?"

"Waiting for the warrant."

"I'll go contact LAPD."

Terry nodded and got back to work. They put out and APB on both Charlie and Don but there had been nothing so far. The phone rang and Terry picked it up. She talked for a few minutes then hung up. David returned and Terry called him over.

"That was the judge," Terry said. "We have our warrant. You check Don's accounts I'll take Charlie."

David nodded and went over to his desk. Terry picked up the phone and called Charlie's bank. Hopefully they would find something.

An hour later David walked over to Terry's desk. Terry was on the phone so he waited. When she was finished she turned to David.

"There hasn't been any actively on Don's credit cards for three days," David said. "Also there's been no withdrawals from the bank."

"Charlie hasn't used his cards even longer," Terry said. "But he did withdraw $500 from and ATM on Fair Oaks Avenue this morning."

"That's only a few blocks from CalSi," David said.

"I know," Terry said. "When I called Larry he said he'd seen Charlie yesterday about an hour after I called him. He thought Charlie was working on a case for us and that he seemed more distracted then usual."

"But he hasn't seen him since?"

"No," Terry answered. "Schools out this week."

"I think Charlie's hiding something from us," David said.

"Me too," Terry agreed.

"You're going to think this is crazy," David said.

"Try me."

"What if Don's been kidnapped because of Charlie."

"That is crazy."

"Hear me out," David said. "Charlie has top clearance from NSA. What if the kidnappers wanted something at the highest level."

"Hardly anyone knows Charlie has that clearance," Terry argued. "Hell even Don was surprised."

"It might not be that," David admitted. "But Charlie can do some pretty incredible things with his equations."

"True," Terry conceded. "Let's see if I can pull up a map of shops close to that ATM."

Davie waited as Terry typed into her computer. Suddenly a map appeared on the screen. David leaned over her shoulder as she checked the stores.

"What about that one," David pointed.

"It has internet access," Terry said as she read the description.

"And its open 24/7," David said. "Looks good to me."

"Let's go," Terry said.

**Chapter 3**

Don woke with a pounding headache. He sat up slowly and took stock of his surroundings. The room was made of cinder blocks with a window close to the ceiling. Don figured he was in a basement. He got up and tried the door across from him. It was locked. Don sighed and sat back down leaning against the wall. He glanced at the window and decided leaving that way was impossible. Maybe Charlie could have fit but there was no way he could. Don clenched his fist when thought of his brother. He knew the kidnappers were using him to get to Charlie. They had worked him over pretty good when they first grabbed him and took some pictures afterwards. Don knew those pictures had been sent to Charlie and he could just imagine what his brother was thinking. Don sighed and hoped Charlie didn't do anything stupid. Not like he did.

The night spent with Charlie had been great. They'd ordered some pizzas and watched a bunch of baseball movies. Around 2:00am Don noticed Charlie starting to doze off. He'd turned off the TV and Charlie instantly woke up. When Charlie saw what time it was he told Don he could stay over. Don had refused and headed back to his apartment. In hindsight he wished he'd stayed. Don really didn't think it would have mattered. The kidnappers would have grabbed him some other time. On the way to his apartment Don had noticed a woman having car trouble. He pulled over to give her a hand when the next thing he knew he was waking in an unfamiliar room. Don couldn't believe he'd fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book. When the kidnappers arrived he tried to explain that kidnapping a federal agent was bad news. That the government wouldn't deal with them. They had just laughed and said they didn't want anything from the government but from his brother Charlie. After that they had beaten him and taken the pictures. Don hoped Charlie didn't panic when he saw the pictures and that he'd go straight to Terry. Don heard a key in the lock and he stood up. A man in a ski mask stepped into the room carrying a gun.

"So I see you're awake."

"When do I get some room service," Don said sarcastically.

"Real funny."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"That depends on that genius brother of yours," the man said. "As soon as he does what we ask we'll let you go."

"Charlie's already gone to the FBI," Don said. "It's only a matter of time before they find you."

"You're brother did exactly as we told him," the man said. "He didn't go to the FBI he's too scared."

"What did you do to him!" Don demanded.

"Nothing," the man laughed. "We just told him you'd die if he didn't follow orders."

"Scaring Charlie isn't the best way to get him to do something," Don warned.

"He seems to be doing alright."

"You're watching him!"

"We had to make sure he didn't contact your partner."

"Even if Charlie didn't go for help my partner will know something's not right when I don't show up to work."

"Charlie told them you were sick."

"Doubt they'll believe that," Don said. "They'll be looking for me its just a matter of time before they find me."

"Its possible," he admitted. "But Charlie should be done before they figure out where you are."

The kidnapper left a bag by the door and went out. Don waited for the door to be locked before he moved. The bag contained a couple of bottles of water and a sandwich. Don went back over to the wall facing the door and sat down. Don just hoped Charlie didn't do anything stupid.

David parking the car around the corner from the coffee shop. Terry got out and started walking towards the door of the shop.

"You wait here," she said. "If these guys have scared Charlie into working for them he might be a bit on edge."

"Right," David agreed. He watched as Terry disappeared into the shop.

Charlie was starting to panic. The first account had been easy to hack into but the second one was proving to be more difficult. As he was imputing some data he received another email. Charlie saved what he was doping and looked at his mail. It was from the kidnappers.

_Don't look now but you have company. Remember if you say anything your brother dies._

Charlie quickly looked around and saw Terry walking towards him. He knew she'd make him go down to the federal building with her. Charlie quickly turned back to his computer and started typing.

Terry saw Charlie look up at her. She hadn't been prepared for the look of pure terror on Charlie's face. As she walked over she saw Charlie typing furiously at his computer. When she got to his table he finished what he was doing and started to shut down his computer. When he was logged off he started to stuff his computer into his bag and gathered his books. Terry stopped in front of him but Charlie wouldn't look up at her.

"Charlie we need to talk."

"About what?" Charlie asked as he signaled to the girl behind the counter.

"Don's missing."

"Missing?" Charlie acted surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play games, Charlie."

Charlie ignored Terry as he paid the cashier. He swung his computer over his shoulder and went to grab his books. Terry took them and made Charlie look at her.

"He's missing Charlie, and you know something about it," she said angrily.

"I don't know anything," Charlie lied.

"Charlie you're coming down to the federal building with me," Terry insisted.

"I can't," Charlie said as he tried to step around her. "I have this big project I'm working on."

"You don't have a choice," Terry said. "I'm taking you in for obstructing the investigation of a missing federal officer."

Charlie walked with her a short way when he pushed Terry into a display case. She hadn't been prepared for Charlie to resist and she fell. As she scrambled to her feet she watched a Charlie ran to the door.

"David! Stop him!"

David heard Terry yell and saw Charlie running for the exit. David positioned himself to intercept Charlie as he came out. But Charlie proved to be quicker then he thought. David was only able to grab the shoulder strap of Charlie's computer bag. Charlie squirmed free and kept moving. David dropped the bag and ran after Charlie. David always figured Charlie wasn't very athletic and would never be able to get away from him. He never figured Charlie could move so fast. As they came to an intersection Charlie was so intent on getting away he never looked for cars.

"Charlie look out!"

Charlie had no time to react as a Vespa ran into him. Both Charlie and the rider of the scooter tumbled to the ground. As David got closer Charlie forced himself to his feet and limped away. Terry stopped to help the rider of the scooter as Davis easily caught Charlie a few feet away. Charlie was disoriented and fought against David. David could see blood above Charlie's right eye.

"Charlie stop fighting me," David said as he grabbed both of Charlie's arms.

Charlie knew he couldn't get away from David and stopped struggling. David held Charlie's arm as he limped back over to Terry.

"She okay?" David asked.

"Yeah," Terry said. "Just shaken."

"Think we should call an ambulance?" David asked as he continued to hold Charlie

"She doesn't want one," Terry said as she stood up to look at Charlie. "Are you okay Charlie?"

Charlie didn't respond and wouldn't look at her. Terry grabbed Charlie's chin and turned his head so she could see the cut. It didn't look bad but it bled enough to drip down Charlie's face.

"Here," David said holding out a handkerchief.

Charlie flinched as Terry began to wipe the blood from his face. The cut was still bleeding and Terry applied pressure to the wound.

"I think we better call an ambulance," Terry said after looking at Charlie.

"No!" Charlie yelled and tried pulling away from her. "Just let me go!"

"I can't do that, Charlie," Terry said. "I need you to come with us."

A couple of good Samaritans had called the police. Terry left David with them to explain what happened as she took Charlie back to the car. Charlie didn't resist as Terry made him sit on the hood as they waited for David. The cashier at the coffee shop had gathered the books and paper and brought them out to Terry. Terry thanked her as she took the books and picked up Charlie's computer bag. David joined them a short time later.

"LAPD said they'd take care of the girl."

"Alright," Terry nodded. "Come on Charlie."

Charlie slid off the hood and limped to the back door and climbed in. Terry got in the passenger's side and turned to face Charlie. Charlie stared straight ahead and didn't say a word. Terry could see the cut was still bleeding and saw Charlie holding the bloody handkerchief. Terry reached over and took it from him and placed it on the cut.

"Charlie you need to hold this," Terry said.

Charlie reached up and placed his hand on the handkerchief and Terry let go. She debated weather to have David take them to the hospital. She waved her hand in front of Charlie and he blinked. She sighed and looked at David.

"This didn't go as planned," Terry said.

"Never expected Charlie to run," David admitted.

"They must have scared him with something pretty good," Terry said.

"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count," David said.

"We just have to hope they try to contact Charlie again," Terry sighed.

**Chapter 4**

Don didn't realize he'd dozed off when he was pulled from sleep by arguing upstairs.

"What do you mean they have him?"

"Just what I said. His damned partners showed up at the coffee shop and Charlie ran."

"Did he get away?"

"He tried but as he ran across the street he was hit by a scooter."

"Was he hurt?"

"Not too bad I guess. They didn't call an ambulance but there was blood on his face."

The voices stopped and Don got worried. Charlie obviously tried to run from David and Terry, and was hurt. He didn't know how bad but Terry would have called an ambulance if she thought Charlie needed it. Don stood as he heard the lock turn. Both kidnappers came in wearing ski masks.

"Your partners found Charlie," the taller one said

"Knew they would," Don answered. "It's just a matter of time before they find me."

"Now we need to put together a little lesson for that brother of yours."

They grabbed Don and he fought them. Except two to one odds wasn't the best and Don was quickly over powered. The larger of the two kidnappers punched Don hard across the jaw and he saw stars. After that he offered no resistance as they dragged him out of the room.

Terry stood on the other side of the two-way mirror and watched Charlie. When they first brought him in they had tried to talk to him but Charlie hadn't said a word. Terry had cleaned the cut over his eye and now two butterfly bandages held it closed. Terry hadn't liked the way Charlie was acting and thought he might have a concussion. When she suggested he go to the hospital Charlie had adamantly refused. She left him after that and joined David in the observation room.

"Techs get anything off Charlie's computer?"

"Not yet," David said. "They think Charlie transferred all his files to an internet storage site before we found him."

"What about his cell phone?"

"He received one phone call yesterday morning," David said.

"Do they know from who?" Terry asked.

"Don," David said.

"Damn, "Terry cursed. "The kidnappers must have used Don's phone."

"That's my guess," David agreed. "They must have contacted him through emails after that."

Terry knew the pressure was getting to Charlie as she watched him begin to tap his fingers against his temple. Don had told her he could always tell when Charlie was worried or unable to convey what he wanted to say when he either rubbed at his temple or tapped it. As they watched Charlie got up and started pacing around the room. Terry could see Charlie was limping but she doubted he even noticed as he continued walking back and forth.

"Hey I think we might have found something on Charlie's computer," one of the techs said as he popped his head in the door.

They left the observation room and followed the tech. As they got to the computer work area Terry could see Charlie's laptop hooked to the main computer. Charlie's screen had been broken when David dropped it.

"What do you have?" Terry asked.

"Not sure yet just give me a minute."

They watched as the tech typed for a few minutes. Suddenly the screen went dark.

"Damn!" the tech cursed. "It was a booby trap. What ever I did released virus that's wiping the memory."

"Can't you stop it?" Terry asked.

"I can't," he said.

They all watched as "Better luck next time" appeared on the screen before the computer shut down. Terry sighed and sat on the desk.

"You realize we can't hold Charlie," David said.

"I know," Terry said rubbing her eyes. "I just wish he'd help us."

"He's too scared," David said. "You know he'll do anything they want to keep Don safe."

"I know," Terry said as she stood back up and walked to the interrogation room.

Terry opened the door to find Charlie still pacing. When she came in Charlie stopped and backed away from her. It hurt that Charlie backed away but Terry knew he was afraid.

"Charlie we need your help," Terry pleaded.

"I can't," Charlie replied.

"I know they told you they'd hurt Don if you came to us."

"Then you know why I can't help you."

"You do realize that statistics show the longer a kidnapped victim is held the more likely they are to be hurt."

"Don't tell me about statistics!" Charlie yelled and began pacing again. Terry knew she'd said the wrong thing as Charlie rubbed his temple. "I know the numbers. The first twenty-four hours are critical to finding clues to where the person is being kept. I know that!"

"Then you understand…"

"Please! I can't help you!" Charlie said. "I just want to go home."

"Alright Charlie," Terry said in defeat. "I'll take you home."

"No!" Charlie said. "I'll take the bus."

"Charlie it's late," Terry insisted. "It'll be faster if I take you."

"I don't want your help," Charlie cried. "Just being her has put Don in danger."

"Charlie how do you know?"

"I just do!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Alright, Charlie," Terry said. "But call me if you want to talk."

Charlie didn't look at her as he quickly made his escape. Terry watched as he limped to the elevator. David walked over to her then glanced towards Charlie.

"He wouldn't tell you anything?"

"No," Terry sighed. "I'm worried about him."

"Who, Don?"

"No… I mean yes," Terry said shaking her head. "But I was talking about Charlie."

"Why are you worried about Charlie?"

"You didn't see his eyes," Terry said. "Charlie's scared, really scared. I doubt he's slept since Don's been taken. If he keeps it up he's going to collapse from exhaustion."

"Why didn't you take him home?" David asked.

"I offered but he's too afraid," Terry said. "I'll just have to check on him in the morning."

David nodded as Terry walked over to her desk. David just hoped they got a break soon for everyone's sake.

**Chapter 5**

Charlie remained standing on the bus too afraid to sit down or he'd fall asleep. As the bus got closer to the house Charlie got off a few stops before his to run into the 7-11. He grabbed two six packs of Jolt and a box of caffeine pills before walking home. Deep down Charlie knew he should have told Terry everything but he was frightened. What if the FBI couldn't find Don even with his help? Then Don would be killed. But if he could just break the security code and give the kidnappers what they wanted Don would be okay. Charlie started to walk faster but had to slow down since his right leg was really starting to hurt. The walk to the house had revived him and Charlie was determined to get back to work.

Charlie entered the house and started to turn on the lights. Since his laptop had been destroyed Charlie had to make due with the desktop version in the dinning room. It was slower than what Charlie was used to and knew it would take longer to hack into the banks. As the computer warmed up Charlie went into the kitchen for something to eat. He grabbed a couple of apples and went back to the dinning room. He just didn't want to waste any time making something. Charlie quickly logged on and checked his mail. There wasn't anything from the kidnappers and Charlie sighed in relief. He went to the storage site and retrieved his data. While Charlie waited for it to download he opened the caffeine pills and shook two into his hand. He washed it down with a can of jolt and got to work.

The next morning Terry drove over to Charlie's the check on him. It was early but she doubted Charlie had gotten any sleep. Hopefully she could talk Charlie in to helping them. The FBI had hit a dead end in the search for Don. Charlie was the only link to the kidnappers. As Terry pulled into the driveway she could see all the lights on in the house. She parked and walked up to the front door. As she rang the bell and waited. She wasn't surprised when Charlie didn't answer it. The doorknob turned when she tried it and she pushed the door open. Terry found Charlie pacing the dinning room while flipping through a book. She could see he was limping worse then last night. Littered around he room were cans of Jolt. Charlie didn't seem to notice her as she looked around. She found a bottle of caffeine pills that was almost empty.

"Charlie did you take all of these?" Terry asked.

Charlie ignored her being completely absorbed in the book. Terry stepped in his path and stopped him. Charlie was taken by surprise ad dropped the book. Terry could see Charlie was breathing faster then normal and grabbed his wrist.

"Damn it, Charlie!" Terry exclaimed as she took Charlie's pulse. It was very fast and she was worried.

"What do you want?" Charlie asked as he pulled away. "I have to get back to work."

"Charlie look at yourself," Terry said. "You're hands are shaking and you can't keep still."

"I'm fine," Charlie said as he stepped around her to go back to the computer

"Charlie listen to me," Terry said grabbing his arm. "You have to let us help. You're going to collapse and how will that help Don?"

"I can't!"

"Yes you can. We'll find him together."

She could see Charlie was starting to waiver. Just then the doorbell rang and Charlie went to open it.

"Deliver for Charles Eppes."

"That's me."

Charlie took the envelope and dug into his pocket for some money. He thanked the delivery boy and handed him the money. Charlie shut the door as he opened the envelope. A tape fell out and landed on the floor. Terry watched as Charlie stood frozen looking at the tape. She walked towards Charlie and bent to pick it up. Before she could touch it Charlie snatched it up and walked over to the TV. Terry was pretty sure she knew what would be on the tape. Charlie put it in the VCR ad stepped back with the remote in his hand. He hit play and a picture of a bloody Don appeared on the screen.

_"We warned you if you went to the FBI your brother would be hurt. This is to show you we mean business."_

The screen went blank but there was still sound. Terry could hear blows being landed and she cringed. Glancing at Charlie she could see he was paralyzed with fear. Suddenly there was a blood-curdling scream.

_"Remember this is all your fault, Charlie. Check the box we sent."_

Charlie dropped the remote and grabbed the envelope. He reached inside and pulled out a box. Terry stepped closer as Charlie opened it. Inside was a bloody severed finger. Terry was taken by surprise as Charlie collapsed. She caught him and eased him to the floor. Checking his pulse she found it rapid and his breathing labored.

"Damn it, Charlie," Terry cursed as she grabbed her cell and dialed 911.

After she gave the emergency people all the information they needed she hung up the phone and looked around. She saw the afghan on the back of the couch and covered Charlie with it. She raised his feet to try to keep him from going into shock. When she kneeled back down next to him she could see he was shaking. Terry cursed again and called the office.

"Agent Sinclair."

"David get a team over to Charlie, stat."

"What's going on?"

"The kidnappers just sent Charlie a present. A severed finger."

"Shit!"

"That's an understatement. Charlie collapsed after opening it. I'm waiting on the ambulance."

"He okay?"

"I don't know. He used a bunch of caffeine pills and I can see about ten empty Jolt cans."

"Crap!" David cursed again. "That's not good."

"Tell me about it," Terry sighed. "Get over here fast. Bring some computer techs with you too."

"I'm on my way."

David hung up and Terry closed her phone. She placed her hand on Charlie's chest and could feel his heart racing. The ambulance arrived and the paramedics got to work on Charlie. Terry stepped away and gathered the caffeine pillbox.

"He took these," Terry said handing them to one of the paramedics.

"How may?"

"Almost the whole bottle. Plus the Jolt cans you see around."

"Damn! How many hours are we talking here?'

"The past nine hours," Terry answered.

"Ok," he said. "Can you tell me his name?"

"Charlie Eppes, he's 29."

"We have to move!" The other paramedic called. "He's starting to throw PVC's."

"What's that?" Terry asked alarmed.

"His heart is beating too fast," She explained as she helped he partner wheel Charlie out. "It's starting to skip to try to get it back to a normal rhythm."

"Which hospital?" Terry asked as she followed them out.

"Huntington Memorial."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Terry said showing her badge. "I have to secure the house."

They nodded and Terry watched as they loaded Charlie into the ambulance and drove away with sirens blaring. Terry went back into the house pulling on a pair of rubber gloves as she went. The box with the finger was the first item she retrieved. Terry shuddered as she picked it up. David showed up a short time later with a team of agents.

"How's Charlie?"

"I don't know," Terry said "Now that you're here I'm going to the hospital."

"Got ya," David nodded.

"I want this done right," Terry warned. "I want all the evidence to hold up in court. When we catch these bastards I don't want them getting off."

"They won't," David assured her.

"Start with this," Terry said holding up the box. "I want to know if it's Don's."

David pulled on a pair of gloves then grabbed and evidence bag out of the kit. Terry placed he box inside and David tagged it. After getting rid of the gruesome evidence Terry pulled off her gloves and walked over to the dinning room looking for Charlie's wallet. It was hidden under some papers and she grabbed it before heading out the door. David watched her go as the team got to work.

Terry arrived at the hospital and showed her badge at the reception desk asking for Charlie. The nurse explained that he was still being examined in ER. Terry thanked her and walked towards the double doors.

"You can't go in there!" The nurse protested.

"Watch me," Terry said and suited action to words. She saw Charlie a few cubicles down and headed his way.

"You can't be in here," the Doctor said.

"And you are?" Terry asked showing her ID.

"Dr. Forester."

"How is he?" Terry asked turning to Charlie.

"Well Agent Lake he's stable for now but his heart rate has us worried. Can you tell us what happened?"

"He hasn't slept or eaten in almost three days," Terry said. "He's been working on a case and last night he must have been afraid he'd fall asleep and took some caffeine pills."

"Not some, fifteen out of a bottle of twenty four."

"Well he was also drinking Jolt," Terry added.

"Jolt?"

"A soda that's got double the caffeine of normal soda," Terry answered

"Terrific," Dr. Forester sighed. "Well that's a major cause of the problem. Plus without eating right his electrolytes are off and that's not helping either."

As the Doctor was talking the heart monitor Charlie was hooked to beep a warning. Dr. Forester quickly put the stethoscope in his ear and listened to Charlie's heart. Terry wasn't encouraged by his frown. After a few seconds he stood back and reset the monitor.

"What's wrong?"

"His heart is too fast. To slow it down his heart his having premature ventricular contractions, or PVC's to try to correct itself."

"Can you give him something to help?"

"Normally we would but I don't want to add another drug to the mix already in his system. I'm hoping if we flush out the caffeine and get his electrolytes balanced it will stop on its own."

"If it doesn't?" Terry asked concerned.

"Then I'll have no choice but to give him the drug," Dr. Forester answered. "After the orthopedic surgeon sees him he'll go up to ICU so they can monitor him."

"Orthopedic?"

"Yeah his leg is broken," He answered. "That was another thing that had me stumped but I figured it went with the lump on his forehead."

"I knew I should have made him go to the hospital yesterday!"

"What happened?"

"Got hit by a Vespa," Terry explained. "He said he was alright.

"Don't blame yourself," he said. "It was hairline fracture but with him walking on it, it made it worse. He probably didn't even realize."

"I hate to just leave him" Terry began. "But we're working on a kidnapping case and I have to get back."

"Does he have any family?" Dr. Forester asked.

"They're out of town," Terry said. Only giving half the truth.

"Can you give us any information about him before you go?"

"I brought Charlie's wallet," Terry said. "Figured you'd need his insurance information and such."

"Perfect," Dr. Forester said smiling. "I'll get the forms from the nurse."

The doctor left and Terry took a seat next to the gurney. She'd never seen Charlie so still before and it scared her. They needed to find Don fast. The doctor returned and handed Terry a clipboard. She filled out what she could then brought it back to the nurse's station. When she went back to say good bye to Charlie the orthopedic surgeon was checking Charlie's leg. Dr. Forester came over when he saw her.

"He says it's not bad," Dr. Forester said. "He'll set it and it will heal just fine."

"I have to go now," Terry said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't worry we'll take good care of him," Dr Forester said as he pulled out his card. "Please call me if you want to check on him."

"Thank you," Terry said then left.

**Chapter 6**

Controlled chaos greeted Terry as she entered the bullpen. David was at his desk talking on the phone and waved when he saw her. Terry went to her desk to wait. A few minutes later David hung up the phone and came over to her.

"Where do we stand?"

"The techs are going over Charlie's computer. The kidnappers were emailing him. They're trying to track the server now.

"Do we know what they wanted Charlie to do?"

"Yeah, "David said. "How is he?"

"Not good," Terry sighed rubbing her eyes. "He took a bunch of caffeine pills trying to stay awake and it caused some problems with his heart."

"Shit!" David cursed. "He going to be okay?"

"The doctor says he will," Terry assured him. "They just have to get him stabilized. To be honest I didn't understand it all."

"We gotta find Don."

"We will."

"Any idea where their father is?"

"Don said he was going out of town but I didn't ask where," Terry said. "So what did they want from Charlie?"

"It's a good thing Charlie is honest," David said. "He was hacking into Cayman Island bank accounts worth a little over a billion dollars."

"Damn," Terry said. "Did he do it?"

"What do you think," David said and Terry laughed. "He was supposed to email the information to the kidnappers in exchange for Don."

"What about the finger?"

"It's fake," David said. "The blood is Don's but the finger is latex."

"Thank God," Terry sighed. "They find any finger prints on the envelope or box?"

"Forensics is still working on it."

"Let's go see what's taking so long."

David followed Terry down to the lab. As they got closer the forensic tech came walking towards them.

"We were able to pull two prints," She said. "One from the box. The other from the envelope. We're running them through AFIS now."

"How long?" Terry asked.

"Maybe an hour."

"Keep us posted."

The tech nodded and walked back to the lab. Terry walked back to the bullpen with David.

"Agent Lake!" the computer tech yelled as they walked in. "We just got another email."

Terry and David quickly followed the tech to the computer lab. She peered over the techs shoulder to read the email.

_"Dr. Eppes we hope you enjoyed the little present."_

"If you reply can you follow the link?" Terry asked.

"We're following it now," he answered. "We should have a location soon."

"It we don't answer they might get suspicious," David said.

"Your right," Terry agreed. "You better answer."

"Not sure what Charlie would say," the tech admitted. "If I answer wrong they might get suspicious."

"Let me," Terry said.

The tech stood up and Terry took his seat. David looked over her shoulder as she typed.

_"Please don't hut him. I'll do anything you want. I'll get it done."_

She crossed her finger and sent the email. They waited a few minutes when another email came in.

_"You have ten hours. You better not fail or your brother's death will be on your head."_

"They sure knew what to say to get Charlie to do as they asked," David commented.

"Yeah they did," Terry said.

"We've got it!" the tech yelled.

"Where!" Terry demanded.

"2643 Magnolia Ave, Glendale."

"Let's move people!" David yelled.

At seven o'clock a UPS van stopped around the corner from Magnolia Ave. LAPD cruisers stopped further back on the same road. The back door of the UPS truck opened and a team dressed in black poured out. The house on the corner had been contacted as an access area to 2643 Magnolia, which was directly behind it. The team moved through the backyard and over the fence. The truck turned the corner and stopped in front of 2463 Magnolia. Terry and David moved with the assault team and arrived at the back door. The team split and moved around the sides of the house. When everyone was in position Terry gave them the signal.

"Assault team one you have a go."

The back door was knocked open and the team poured in covering each other. They split inside the house to cover all the rooms. Terry brought up the rear and covered the door.

"Freeze! Put your hands above your head!"

Terry moved in when anther team member covered her spot. Again she heard someone on the team yelling to put their hands up. The all clear was give for the first floor as Terry moved to the front of the house. David had been with the Team covering the front door. Once the first floor was secure David's group headed for the basement. Terry joined David's team as they went down stairs. There was a door to the right and Terry watched as David nodded and two members of the team disappeared into the room.

Don heard the commotion upstairs and smiled. He could hear the all clear given and hoped no one hit those two bastards. He wanted to be the first to do it. He knew the assault team would be coming downstairs next. Don remained by the wall and put his hands on his head. He didn't have to wait long when the door was knocked in and two assault team members rushed in, and moved to either side of the door sweeping their guns around the room. When they saw Don they nodded.

"All's clear!"

Don smiled as Terry and David walked in. "Its about time. Figured I'd have to get a new team if you took any longer."

"Some thanks," David grumbled.

"Typical," Terry said smiling.

"Someone want to help me up," Don said.

David and Terry went over and grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet. Don gasped in pain as they steadied him on his feet.

"Are you okay?" Terry asked.

"Think they broke a couple of ribs in that last beating," Don admitted. "They wanted to scare Charlie with it."

"They did," Terry said.

"Is he upstairs?" Don asked as they left the room. "How'd you keep him from coming down here?"

"Charlie's not here," Terry said.

"Not here?" Don said surprised. "How'd you manage to get him to stay at the office?"

"Don he's not at the office," Terry said.

"Terry what's going on, where's Charlie?"

"I'll explain on the way to the hospital."

Don couldn't believe this. Charlie hadn't gone to Terry for help. Terry said the kidnappers had really scared Charlie and he'd tried everything to get Don back on his own. Charlie had been so determined that he'd made himself sick. Terry parked at Huntington hospital and helped Don out of the car. As they walked inside Terry tried to steer him towards the ER but he refused.

"No, I'm going to see Charlie," Don said as he tried to head for the elevator.

"No you're going to get those ribs taken care of," Terry insisted. "I ignored how bad Charlie was getting. I'm not letting you do the same thing. Besides Charlie's not going anywhere."

Don reluctantly agreed and let Terry drag him to the ER. The nurse at reception told them it would be about thirty minutes before anyone could see them. Don wanted to go up to Charlie, if he had to wait that long, but Terry convinced him to stay in the ER waiting room. Don took a seat and gingerly leaned back. When he found a comfortable position he sighed. He closed his eyes and started to doze off.

Terry was glad Don decided to be reasonable. He looked terrible. Terry decided that most of the cuts were superficial and she hope nothing else was broken besides his ribs. She leaned back and grabbed a magazine off the table.

"Shit!" Don said sitting up. "I have to call my dad."

"Here us my cell," Terry said handing him her phone.

Don leaned back and dialed. Terry listened as Don talked with his dad. Alan was in San Diego golfing with friends. Don assured him everything would be all right and not to kill himself rushing back. Don hung up and handed Terry her phone.

"He okay?"

"He's worried. Wanted to get a flight from San Diego. I told him he didn't have to that it would be too much."

"He'll do it anyway," Terry said smiling.

"I know," Don sighed. "You're sure Charlie's okay?"

"Dr. Forester said he should be fine," Terry said.

"Should be?" Don said sitting back up. "I'm gong to see him."

"Don I know you're worried but he's in good hand upstairs," Terry said. "You need those ribs taken care of."

"Alright but I won't wait forever," Don said leaning back again.

Terry knew she wouldn't be able to keep there forever and hope they called him soon. She was glad when a few minutes later Don had fallen asleep. She picked up the magazine again and settled in to wait.

By nine o'clock Don was finally out of the ER and on his way up to see Charlie. Terry was still with him and he was glad. The elevator arrived on the third floor and Don headed down the corridor to ICU. He knew the way from when his mom was sick. Dad had been taking care of his mom at home but she had gotten really bad at the end and he brought her to the hospital. She was placed in ICU and the doctors didn't think she had that much time left. Alan didn't want his wife to be hooked to machines and die in the hospital. So he had taken her home against the doctors wishes. Don remembered when he had come up to see his mom in ICU. He had hated it. Now he had to come see Charlie. As they got closer Don could see Charlie through one of the windows. Don walked straight to his room.

"Wait you can't go in there," the duty nurse said as he stormed by.

"Watch me," Don said flashing her his ID and badge.

"It's his brother," Terry said. "He was hurt trying to save him."

The nurse reluctantly let them go in. Terry followed Don and stood outside the door.

"Hey, Buddy," Don said taking Charlie's hand. "I hear you got away from David. That's not easy to do. But I have to say Charlie what you did wasn't the smartest thing in the world but I know why you did it. Think I'm starting to realize that dads right. You'll do anything for me."

Terry watched as Don pushed Charlie's unruly curls off his forehead. Don gingerly sat on the bed and placed his hand on Charlie's chest.

"Damn!" Don exclaimed. "Isn't there something they can give him to slow down his heart?"

"Actually it's much slower then it was when they brought him in."

"Dr. Forester," Terry said. "This is Charlie's brother Don."

"Please to meet you," Don said. "How's my brother?"

"He's doing good," Dr. Forester smiled. "All the IV's have started to flush the caffeine from his system. His heart rate has slowed considerable since he was first brought in."

"It was faster then it is now?" Don asked shocked.

"Oh yes," the doctor said. "And we were getting worried but everything's under control now."

"What about those PVC things," Terry said.

"He's had less of them which is good," Dr. Forester said. "He still has one every once in awhile that's why he's still here in ICU."

"Thank you," Don said.

"My pleasure," he said.

Don watched as the doctor left. He turned back to Charlie and sighed. There was no way he was leaving his brother alone here at the hospital. Don pulled up a chair and took a seat. He grabbed Charlie's hand and got comfortable

"Terry, Terry."

Terry woke to someone shaking her shoulder. She blinked and stretched trying to work out the kinks from sleeping in a chair.

"Mr. Eppes," Terry said surprised. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago," Alan answered. "Why don't you go home."

"I was waiting for Don," Terry said. "I drove him here. Besides I wanted to wait to see how Charlie was."

"Don't worry we can take a cab home," Alan assured her. "I talked to Charlie's doctor. Charlie's heart beat is back to normal and he's sleeping peacefully."

"That's great," Terry said. "Do you know what happened?"

"Its not important right now," Alan said. "I have all the information I need."

"I understand," Terry said smiling. "How are you going to get Don to leave?"

"I have my ways."

"I bet you do," Terry laughed. "I'll wait for you so you don't need to call a cab."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to."

"Well if you insist, I appreciate it."

Terry watched as Alan made his way towards Charlie's room. She didn't follow knowing that Alan wanted time alone with his sons.

Alan walked into the room and stopped. Don was asleep leaning on Charlie's bed. Alan knew he would regret that. Dr. Forester had told Alan Don had three broken ribs and other contusions. Alan looked towards his younger son and sighed. Charlie was pale with dark circles beneath his eyes. Alan walked to the opposite side of the bed and stood next to Charlie, then leaned over and kissed his youngest on the forehead.

"You behave," he told Charlie as he stepped back.

Alan walked around to Don and squeezed his shoulder. "Don…Donnie."

Don jerked awake and regretted the quick movement as his back and ribs protested.

"Dad?"

"It's time to go home," Alan said.

"What?" Don asked in confusion.

"We're going home," Alan said again.

Don looked at his dad then turned back to Charlie. "What about Charlie?"

"He's sleeping," Alan explained. "And you should be too."

"I can sleep here," Don insisted.

"No, Donnie," Alan said. "Charlie wouldn't want that."

"How do you know!" Don snapped. Alan just raised his eyebrows at his son's outburst. "I'm sorry dad I'm just worried about him."

"I know," Alan said squeezing Don's shoulder. "But I talked to Dr. Forester. Charlie's heart rate is back to normal."

"What about his electrodes or something," Don said.

"Electrolytes," Alan laughed. "They're still a bit off, but he said they will be fine by morning."

"It is morning," Don said, looking at his watch.

"Okay, late morning," Alan conceded. "Now lets go."

"Charlie, I'll see you later," Don said patting, his brother's hand.

"Terry's waiting to take us home."

"She's still here?"

Don walked out of Charlie's room to see Terry talking with the nurses.

"What are you still doing here?" Don asked.

"Waiting for you," Terry said.

"Thanks Terry," Don said. "For everything."

"Anytime," she said. "Ready to go."

After thanking Terry for dropping them off, Alan followed Don up to the house. Alan could see his son was hurting by the way he was walking. He also knew Don would never admit it. Don unlocked the door and they stepped inside. Alan shut the door and locked it. Don headed straight for the stairs.

"I'll be up in just a minute," Alan said. "I want to check the rest of the house."

Don smiled. Even though the house belonged to Charlie their dad was still responsible for it. Dad had tried to sit back and have Charlie take care of the house, but it hadn't worked. When Charlie got into an equation he'd forget things. Like turning off the sprinklers.

Don took his time climbing the stairs. His ribs were killing him. It hadn't helped that he'd fallen asleep in the chair next to Charlie's bed. Don was at the last step when he heard his dad come up behind him. Alan followed Don to his old room as Don opened the door.

"Uh dad," Don said pointing.

Alan looked over Don's shoulder. Just before he'd left he'd decided to air out the room and the mattress. The bed was apart, with the mattress leaning against the wall.

"I'll go sleep on the couch."

"No you won't. You'll be sore and stiff in the morning."

"Dad, I'll be sore and stiff no matter where I sleep."

"You'll be worse on the couch," Alan said taking Don's arm. "You can sleep in Charlie's room."

"I can't do that," Don protested.

"Charlie won't mind, " Alan insisted.

Don hadn't been in Charlie's room in a long time. He wasn't surprised when he saw nothing had changed. A picture of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man hung on the wall, along with other works by the master. Charlie had been fascinated by Leonardo's work when he was younger. Don remembered the Christmas he'd given Charlie a model of Leonardo's Parabolic Bridge. Charlie had been so excited all other presents were forgotten as Charlie raced to the solarium to put it together. Charlie had been eight when Don gave him the model.

"He still has it," Don said surprised.

"Has what?" Alan asked as he carefully removed the papers from Charlie's bed and transferred them to his desk.

"The Parabolic Bridge."

"Oh that," Alan said. "Did you really think he'd have gotten rid of it?"

"Dad, it's been twenty-one years."

"Doesn't matter. Charlie was so happy that his older brother remembered about the bridge, and had given him something he had wanted so bad he'd been saving his allowance for it."

Don just shook his head. He didn't know what to say. A small part of him felt guilty he'd never saved any of the things Charlie had given him.

"I think I've got all the papers," Alan said. "I'm going to get you a pair of sweats. Charlie's will be too small."

Don sat on the bed and sighed. All he wanted to do was sleep. Alan returned with the sweat pants and a glass of water.

"What's the water for?" Don asked as his father handed him the glass.

"So you can take these," Alan said dropping two pills into Don's hand.

"Thanks," Don said as he popped the pills in his mouth and drank the water.

"Anything else?" Alan asked as he took the glass.

"I'm good. Thanks dad."

Alan closed the door as he left. Don changed into the sweat pants then climbed into bed. He switched off the lights and laughed instantly regretting it. On the ceiling were the glow in the dark stars their mother had put there when Charlie was five. They were the last thing Don saw as he drifted off to sleep.

**Chapter 7**

Don woke the next morning to the smell of bacon and fresh coffee. He stretched and immediately regretted it when he felt a stabbing pain from his broken ribs. Don carefully sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. In the light of day Charlie's room was revealed to be chaotic. Papers and books littered the floor. Clothing was haphazardly tossed in the dresser. Don just smiled thinking that Charlie's room was a good reflection of his brother. He saw a pair of jeans and a shirt on the chair; occasionally he brought laundry over, and obviously he'd left some behind. Don's stomach growled and he got dressed as quickly as he could. Don headed down stairs and into the kitchen. Alan was standing by the stove and turned when he heard Don come in.

"What time is it?" Don asked.

"Ten thirty."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Visiting hours aren't until noon. Besides you need the sleep. Now you need to eat."

Don didn't argue as his stomach growled again. Alan told his son to take a seat at the table and he'd bring him a plate. Don went out to the dining room and his dad came out and placed a full plate n front of him. Don took a deep breath and cringed. He'd have to try to remember not to do that.

"I could get used to this," Don said as he dug into the food.

"I'm glad someone appreciates it," Alan said, joining Don with his own plate and coffee.

"What Charlie doesn't?"

"Your brother, is at his worst, in the mornings. He runs around here like a whirling dervish and never has time for breakfast as he runs out the door."

"His loss," Don said as he took another bite.

"But he does like when I make him dinner."

"That's because all Charlie is good at making is soup and sandwiches. Everything else he's tried was a disaster."

"It's one of the few things your brother isn't good at."

Alan let Don eat while he drank his coffee. The bruises on Don's face were spectacular. His right eye was still a bit swollen, though not as bad, but it was a dark shade of purple. The split lip looked painful. Alan could only imagine what Don's torso looked like under the bandages.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Well, this time you were wrong about Charlie being hurt because of what I do. I was kidnapped because of what Charlie could do."

Don continued to explain what had happened over the last two days. Alan listened without interruption until Don was finished.

"Why didn't Charlie go to Terry and David?"

"Terry said the kidnapper had scared Charlie pretty bad," Don explained. "I don't know all the details, but Charlie tried to get me back on his own. He was so determined that he ran when Terry and David tried to bring him in to FBI headquarters. That's how he broke his leg."

"What did the kidnappers want from Charlie?"

"Don't know, but I can only assume money."

"Charlie isn't exactly rich."

"Yes, but he's good at cracking codes. My guess is they had him hacking into bank accounts. I won't know for sure until I talk with Terry."

Alan was satisfied with the answers. He'd get more when he talked to his youngest. Don helped clear the dishes, and when they were finished they headed over to the hospital.

As they walked towards the ICU unit Don noticed something was wrong. Charlie was no longer in his room. As they got closer one of the nurses looked up.

"Good morning," she said brightly. "You'll be happy to know Charlie was moved out of ICU and into room 418."

"That's great, thank you," Don said.

"Charlie must be doing better," Alan said as they headed back to the elevator.

"Looks that way. I wonder how long they'll keep him?"

"Guess we'll find out."

The elevator dropped them off on the fourth floor and they went looking for Charlie's room. When they found it Don quietly pushed open the door. When Don saw Charlie was still asleep he went to call Terry. Alan sat next to his son and ruffled Charlie's hair. Alan thought he should get it cut short but Charlie refused.

Terry was typing at her computer when her cell phone rang. She saved her work and grabbed her phone.

"Agent Lake."

"Hey, Terry, it's Don."

"Hey Don, how are you feeling?"

"My ribs are killing me, but if you tell anyone I'll deny it."

"Typical machismo response. How's Charlie?"

"We're at the hospital now. He's sleeping. I called to get an update on the kidnappers."

"Not much to tell. They said a woman approached them with the information about the bank accounts. She's also the one that told them about Charlie and you."

"So she was the master mind. I'm guessing she was my damsel in distress."

"That's my guess too, but the kidnappers aren't talking. We checked out the address they had for the woman, but the place was clean."

"You need me to come down there to give my statement?"

"It can wait. With what we have on these two the judge won't be granting them bail."

"Good enough. I'll talk to you later."

"Say hello to Charlie for me when he wakes up."

"I should never have brought him to work. Now you like him better."

"Well, he is cute."

"Cute huh? I'll tell him you said that."

"He already knows."

"Fine! I'll tell him you said hi."

"Really, Don, we're all worried about him."

"I know. Doc says he's going to be just fine."

"That's good."

"And Terry, thanks for watching out for him."

"Anytime, Don."

Don ended the call and smiled. Charlie always brought out the over protectiveness in people, even his crack FBI team. He headed back upstairs knowing the investigation was in good hands.

Alan looked up from his magazine when he saw Charlie begin to stir. Charlie stretched and opened his eyes. Alan was by his side as Charlie looked at him in confusion.

"Pop?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess."

Charlie looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Suddenly he remembered everything, and panicked.

"Oh God! Dad, what day is it?"

"The twenty - first."

"Maybe I'm not too late. What time is it?"

"One o'clock."

Alan became alarmed when his youngest son paled. Finally dawned on Alan what had scared Charlie.

"Charlie, listen to me."

"Don's dead!" Charlie cried. "He's dead and I killed him!"

"Who's dead?"

"Don!" Charlie fought against his father to try to get out of the bed.

"Whoa, hold on, Buddy," Don said, and quickly moved to the bed, and grabbed Charlie.

Don wasn't prepared for his younger brother to grab him and hold on for dear life. He cringed as Charlie hugged him. But just as quickly as Charlie grabbed him, he pushed Don away. Charlie's behavior was confusing Don until he realized that Charlie was trying to grab his hands.

"It's okay, Charlie, look," Don said holding up his hands. "They're all there."

Not believing what his eyes were telling him Charlie grabbed Don's hands. When he finally accepted Don still had all his fingers he slumped back against the pillows.

"But if it wasn't, your then whose?"

"No one's. It was a fake."

"Oh."

"Charlie, do you remember what happened?" Alan asked seeing his sons confusion.

"Not sure exactly. Guess I fainted when I opened the box."

"Yeah, well you fainted because you took to many damned caffeine pills," Don said angrily.

"But I had to!" Charlie said defensively. "I had to stay awake."

"That's just it, Charlie, you didn't! If you had just gone to Terry when this first happened."

"I couldn't!"

"Yes, you could! They would have known what to do. They could have gotten me back and you wouldn't be in the hospital!"

"But…"

"There's no buts, Charlie, you could have died!"

"That's enough!" Alan declared, bringing the argument to an end.

Don didn't know why he was so angry with Charlie. He was so glad his brother was all right. But he did have to admit he was scared when Terry told him what happened. Don looked at his brother and saw the pain in his eyes. Charlie looked away then rolled to his side.

"I'm tired," Charlie sighed.

"Buddy, I…"

"I just want to go to sleep," Charlie said, and pulled the covers up.

Alan took Don's arm and led him outside. Don turned back to Charlie's door and leaned his forehead against it.

"Dad, I'm sorry, That's not how I planned this."

"I know," Alan said squeezing Don' s shoulders. "You were scared."

"Terrified," Don admitted, turning to face his father. "While they were holding me I knew they were sending pictures to Charlie to scare him. I was afraid he might do something crazy."

"I think Charlie knows that," Alan said. "I think the two of you both need a few days apart to work out your feelings about what happened."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm your father."

**2 days later**

Don couldn't' stay away any longer. He had to talk to Charlie. Their father had suggested a cooling off period for both of them and he'd been right. Don had thrown himself into the investigation to find his damsel in distress. So far they had no luck. It was as if she completely disappeared. During that time Don had tried to imagine what it had been like for Charlie. In the end he had to admit if he'd been in Charlie's shoes he would have done the same thing. Don pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. He climbed out of the Suburban and walked to the front door. As he turned the knob he wasn't surprised to find the door unlocked. He walked inside to find Charlie asleep on the couch. Charlie's bright blue cast was propped up on some pillows. As Don got closer he could see EMC2 on the cast along with other equations. Don just shook his head as he continued to the kitchen.

"Donnie, I didn't hear you come in."

"Figured I'd stop by and see what was for dinner."

"That's great, there's plenty."

"Is Charlie okay?"

"Yeah he's fine. Doctor said he'd probably sleep more then usually but it was nothing to worry about."

"That's good."

"How are you the ribs?"

"They're good."

Don help his father cut up tomatoes for a salad. Alan knew Don wanted to tell him something, and that he knew if he was just patient, Don would get around to telling him in his own time.

"You were right."

"I usually am."

"No really," Don chuckled. "I put myself in Charlie's shoes and decided I would have done the same thing."

"I came to the same conclusion after analyzing all the data."

Don and Alan turned to see Charlie leaning on his crutches just inside the door. Charlie hobbled over to them and turned to Don.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, Buddy."

"Well, now that you're both sorry do you think you can give me a hand?" Alan asked looking at his sons.

"Sure dad what do you need?" Don asked

"I need one of you to stir the soup so it doesn't burn," Alan said holding out the spoon.

"I'll get that Pop," Charlie said as he leaned his crutches against the counter.

"No I'll do that Charlie," Don said taking the spoon.

"What you don't think I can handle it?"

"You'll probably start stirring and come up with an equations on the drag of the spoon at the bottom of the pan. Then you would burn it because you forgot to stir it."

"I would not!"

"Yeah, right."

Alan just smiled as his two sons teased each other. Their mother would be so proud if she could see them now.


End file.
